“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 100+”
“I-I’m… I’m just happy,” Song An’an stammered incoherently in response.
Liang Sheng pinched the girl’s tear-streaked little face, and the tension in her chest finally eased. Pretending to be upset, she said, “No more of this from now on, you hear? You scared me half to death. If you cry again like that, I’ll really get mad~”
Song An’an nodded eagerly and hugged Liang Sheng’s arm to boot. Heh heh, A-Sheng must like her now—she’d even kissed her forehead!
“Liang Sheng! You big dummy!” A volleyball came flying straight at her. Liang Sheng froze in place, stiff as a board, unsure which way to dodge.
The volleyball whistled past her ear without hitting her, leaving goosebumps prickling all over Liang Sheng’s skin. If it had veered just a little more, it would’ve burst her skull open!
“Who was that!?” Liang Sheng bellowed furiously. She focused her gaze and saw Young Miss Lu Ziqing glaring at her, cheeks puffed out in anger.
Young Miss Lu Ziqing equaled money, which equaled free meals, which rounded up to a lavish feast right now. With that in mind, Liang Sheng swallowed her anger and waved at Lu Ziqing with a fawning smile. “Young Miss! You’re here too!” Utter nonsense, of course.
Lu Ziqing turned her head away, refusing to look at her. Liang Sheng touched her nose sheepishly. Man, this young miss was a handful…
She dragged Song An’an over toward Lu Ziqing. Though reluctant, Song An’an had no choice but to let herself be pulled along.
“Young Miss~ Let me play with you!” Lu Ziqing ignored her, her expression icy. Liang Sheng hit another wall.
Gritting her teeth, Liang Sheng endured it—for the promise of a fancy meal!
She kept up the playful coaxing with wide grins, but then Song An’an started sulking too. Liang Sheng turned to soothe her. By the time she glanced back at Lu Ziqing, the young miss’s face had grown even more menacing. Liang Sheng had no choice but to turn back to her. Back and forth she went between the two girls, leaving her head spinning. Ancestors! Living ancestors! These two Little Aunt Grannies were her ancestors! This time, it was Liang Sheng who nearly burst into tears from frustration.
Finally, Liang Sheng snapped. Wiping at her eyes, she bolted away.
She didn’t know how far she ran or where she ended up. Liang Sheng sat down, feeling utterly wronged deep inside. She was a girl too, after all—she needed some comforting sometimes. But right now… Sigh.
After some time had passed in silence, a clear “ding-a-ling” rang out from nearby. Liang Sheng looked up to see a tall, slender girl in a beige sun hat walking toward her. Her hair floated on the breeze, sea-blue strands rippling like the deep ocean.
Humming a tune, the girl drew closer to Liang Sheng. Another “ding-a-ling” sounded, and that’s when Liang Sheng noticed the little bell tied around the girl’s wrist. Sensing eyes on her, the girl glanced over and locked gazes with Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng froze. Those deep blue eyes were captivating—dangerously so. She quickly looked away, afraid of drowning in their intoxicating depths.
Spotting Liang Sheng, the girl sauntered over, bent at the waist with hands on her knees, and asked enthusiastically, “I saw a group of students over that way. You classmates, right? You’ve come pretty far—lost, maybe?”
Liang Sheng sneaked a peek at the blue-haired girl, then ducked her head. The girl wasn’t the jaw-dropping type of beautiful, but one glance left an indelible mark on the memory.
Another heroine? Liang Sheng squinted up at her. No info popped up. She figured, yeah, what were the odds of running into main characters all the time?
Liang Sheng shook her head and told the blue-haired girl, “I had a fight with my classmates and ended up running out here without thinking.”
The blue-haired girl smiled gently and patted Liang Sheng’s head. “You should head back soon. It’s getting late—being out here alone must be scary.”
Liang Sheng felt like the girl was treating her like a little kid, which was kinda awkward. She asked, “How old are you, sis?”
“Me?” The blue-haired girl giggled. “I’m twenty-six this year—way older than you all!”
“Oh… Really? You don’t look a day over eighteen or nineteen, sis!” Liang Sheng trotted out her sweet-talking charm.
“Haha!” Every girl loved hearing how young she looked, and this blue-haired one was no exception. Her grin stretched ear to ear.
Liang Sheng, still curious, pressed on. “What’s your name, sis?”
“Ling Dang.”
“Hm?” Liang Sheng blinked in confusion.
“I’m Ling Dang,” the girl repeated with a laugh.
Ling Dang—what an odd name. It hadn’t appeared anywhere in the whole book. Probably just an NPC.
No… It felt familiar. Where had she heard it? Liang Sheng’s head swam with dizziness; she just couldn’t recall.
“Hey? You okay?” Ling Dang patted Liang Sheng’s shoulder as she zoned out.
Liang Sheng snapped to and waved it off. “I’m fine.”
“Where are you from?” Ling Dang tugged at her skirt and sat down beside Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng scooted a bit closer. The girl smelled nice. “D City, sis. You?”
“Me…” Ling Dang trailed off into thought, frowning. “Huh? Where am I from?” She clutched her head in distress and gazed blankly out at the sea.
This… Liang Sheng stared in shock. What was up with this sister? Mental issues? Amnesia?
“Don’t think about it!” Liang Sheng grabbed her hand.
Ling Dang looked puzzled. Her eyes darted around, then lit up as if struck by sudden enlightenment. “Haha, yeah, don’t dwell on it. Being happy is what matters, right? That’s… That’s what—who told me that?” Her brows furrowed deeper, and she sank back into confusion.
What a strange person. Liang Sheng watched the scene unfold, a weird chill creeping over her.
“Sis, don’t worry about it.” Liang Sheng stood and took her hand. “Come on, I’ll walk you home!” Ever the gentlemanly type, she volunteered.
“Sure…” Ling Dang smiled sweetly, brushed the sand off her skirt, and took Liang Sheng’s hand to go.
Suddenly, she stopped. Glancing back at Liang Sheng, she asked dubiously, “But… where do I live?” What? She forgot her own home?! Liang Sheng started to panic. Whose girl was this? Her family must be freaking out!
“Huh?” Ling Dang peered at Liang Sheng again. “Who… are you, again?”
Liang Sheng was stunned speechless.
From nearby, the Old Nanny suddenly came dashing over. Panting heavily, she reached Ling Dang, grabbed her hand, her face a comical mask of worry. She looked about to cry.
“Oh, my dear girl! How did you wander off alone? Should’ve never begged the young master to let you come play here…”
Liang Sheng got it now. Ling Dang had some issues with her head and had slipped out today, getting herself lost.
“And you are?” The Old Nanny wailed her piece before noticing the girl behind Ling Dang.
Liang Sheng scratched her head. “I ran into Sister Ling Dang here and was gonna take her home, but she didn’t know where she lived. Also…”
The Old Nanny cut her off in a fluster. “Thank you so much! My girl’s had a bad memory since she was little, and she loves her jokes. Alright, we’ll be off now—don’t let us keep you!”
Liang Sheng was left baffled by the abruptness but could only nod and wave to Ling Dang. “See you…” Before she finished, the Old Nanny had already dragged her away.
Sigh, why were all these people so weird, one after another?
Liang Sheng headed back the way she’d come, kicking at the sand and stones along the path as she mulled over this new girl, Ling Dang.
Unwittingly, she arrived back at the beach volleyball spot where Lu Ziqing had been playing. But now, it was deserted. Liang Sheng slumped against a coconut tree in defeat. Great, totally abandoned now. A wave of bleakness washed over her.
“Hey! Look over there—someone!” A clamor erupted. Liang Sheng glanced around to see a crowd charging toward her, a dark mass of bodies.
“It’s Liang Sheng!” someone squealed in delight. Liang Sheng recognized the voice at once—Song An’an.
Like a tiger charging down the mountain, Song An’an flung herself at Liang Sheng amid snot and tears. “Wahhh, A-Sheng, you scared me to death! You’ve been gone over four hours! Waaahhh…” Wait, that long?
Liang Sheng’s stomach let out a loud “gurgle” in protest. Hunger hit her all at once; she’d been out way longer than she realized.
“Found her, found her…” With Liang Sheng safe, the crowd dispersed like startled birds and beasts, leaving only Song An’an, Lu Ziqing, An Hua, Gu Yuqi, and Dong Yue behind.
Dong Yue’s face was stern, her tone severe as she demanded, “Where have you been?”
“I…” Liang Sheng started to explain.
“Don’t say it. Just don’t do this again—everyone was worried sick. Especially me, your teacher. You’re my student; if something happened to you, what would I do? You know the saying: one day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father. I was really worried about you.” The speech nearly brought tears to Liang Sheng’s eyes. She paid no mind to that “father” bit.
Lu Ziqing sidled up to Liang Sheng and muttered ever so softly, “Sorry!” Then she turned tail and ran.
Liang Sheng shivered at Lu Ziqing’s antics. The young miss apologizing for the first time? It was downright eerie…
Gu Yuqi unleashed a torrent of concern, her pretty brows knotted tight.
An Hua stood silently to the side, saying nothing, but her heart had been filled with worry for Liang Sheng.
Song An’an put on the most dramatic show, bawling her eyes out with perfect whimpering rhythm, clinging to Liang Sheng’s neck and refusing to let go. It was as if Liang Sheng had died and was about to be buried or cremated.
“Alright, alright.” Lu Ziqing repeated the routine, one hand yanking Su Ze along, the other reaching for Liang Sheng. “Let’s go—I’m treating you all to dinner. A promise from this young miss is never broken!”
Song An’an slapped Lu Ziqing’s hand away and glared at her. Liang Sheng held Song An’an back. “Hey, don’t do that, An’an. It’s rude. Be good~”
“Fine…” Song An’an drooped her head, looking utterly aggrieved.
